


Amends

by Tiikeria



Series: Care for Me? [12]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Seizures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 07:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1596488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiikeria/pseuds/Tiikeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Big brothers always have to look after their little brothers, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Amends

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I love me some good Ryan angst, I think it's time to stop torturing the poor man; he's going to run out of cookies at this rate. Anyway, guys, enjoy part 12, the last official part of the Escalation Arc!

Another morning, another two cookies on his desk, quickly accompanied by his Creeper mug, full of steaming coffee, ready to wake the still sleepy man out of his dazed state. He had to smile; this was the thirteenth day in a row that he had found cookies on his desk upon his arrival to Stage 5, trailing in behind an equally sleepy Geoff. The culprit? One James Haywood, whose other aliases included Ryan, The Mad King, and, recently, Cookie Monster, courtesy of Jack and Michael, the others quickly joining in on the teasing. Geoff even went as far as to ask Ryan if he was trying to woo the Brit, because, if so, Geoff "might have to get the shotgun out." Gavin wasn't amused; Ryan just laughed.  
  
He didn't mind the cookies every morning, in fact, as he told Ryan, he thought it was 'tippy toppers' ignoring Ryan's question of translation like he normally did. What he minded was the silence that had formed between the two of them; if left in a room together, it quickly became stifling, the guilt that laced the quiet. The guilt constantly coming from the Gent; what was worse was the jumpiness. Any time any phone rang or buzzed, even if it wasn't his own, Ryan was instantly alert, eyes locking on the Brit. He'd calm once he took in Gavin's relaxed form; Gavin himself pretended to not notice, for Ryan's sake, but it had gone long enough. Gavin had forgiven him the moment he pulled the giant cookie from the bag in the hospital, but it seemed like the man hadn't forgiven himself. And that would not do, not at all in Gavin't mind.  
  
What he didn't anticipate was the odd sort of irony that would fix the rift between the two of them. Stage 5 was quiet as either everyone had gone home or was diligently working on their projects; Gavin himself was alone in the Achievement Hunter office, headphones over his ears as he listened to his co-workers bicker back and forth while trying to win a certain coveted golden tower. It was due to go up in two days, but he had known he wouldn't have a chance to  finish the edit the next day, their schedule quite packed with recording.   
  
Geoff had left him behind, leaving Ryan to bring the Lad home safe and sound, hoping at some point that they would figure out how to cure the silence that lingered past the return of Gavin's voice. However, the Gent was currently in the recording booth across the building, reading off his lines for both RvB and RWBY, hoping to knock them both out early. So, when Gavin started to feel the tug, the familiar feeling of his mind starting to go into "sleep mode" he didn't hesitate to pull out his phone; he did hesitate, however, in dialing the number. Not for fear that Ryan wouldn't answer, but because the man was recording. He didn't want to have to make Ryan stay longer just because his brain was being mingy.   
  
His phone stayed silent as he slipped into the darkness.  
  
What he didn't know was that Ryan had been finished quite a while before, and was just hanging out with the RWBY crew as they finished up for the night, Miles and Kerry eagerly filling Ryan in on some of the improvements the crew had made in the rendering of the characters. Something told him to check on the office, though; he wasn't sure why, considering Gavin was the only one in the room, and if there was anything wrong he surely would have called him, right?  
  
Right?  
  
The feeling of something not being quite right just wouldn't leave him alone; within moments he was bidding farewell to the crew and heading back down quiet hallways to the larger space the Achievement Hunters now occupied. He made a quick detour to grab himself and Gavin a drink, wrinkling his nose at the smell from the fridge. Another day, another mutated lunch. Quickly, he escaped with Dr. Peppers in hand, his footsteps loud in the otherwise still building. The doorknob was cold in his hand as he twisted it open, peering in, finding Gavin in front of his computer, headphones on; he wasn't too concerned when the Lad didn't react to Ryan's entrance.  
  
That didn't last long.  
  
  
  
He froze as he realized Gavin wasn’t moving. Wasn’t editing. Wasn’t doing _anything._  Familiar panic filled his veins. The cans slipped from his fingers as he numbly gripped the Lad’s chair, gently removing the headphones, a sense of deja vu haunting the back of his mind. This is how it all started. And Ryan felt no more confident in his abilities as he did then, all those months ago; he was all Gavin had right now, though, and he was going to do his damnedest for him.  
  
He scooped the stiff man up from the chair, cradling him close, resting the man’s head against his shoulder. Gently, he placed the Lad on the couch, almost as if in autopilot, mimicking himself from the past as he sat, resting Gavin’s head in his lap, fingers carding through the wild, sandy locks. Hazel eyes stared, unseeing, at the ceiling of the silent room, breathing shallow. Ryan refused to allow his gaze to shift, desperate for Gavin to return, praying that it wasn’t going to become a repeat of the last time. He didn’t think he could handle it, not again, knowing there was more he could do, and failed.  
  
Seconds ticked by, feeling much longer than they should. The ticking of the clock mocking him from across the room, reminding him of just how helpless he was to make a difference. All he could do was wait. And, hopefully, Gavin would return on his own. Ryan could only hope.  
  
The hand in his hair felt nice. Felt very nice. He would be content if the hand never stopped stroking his hair. He felt the need to follow the hand, though, the large, warm hand above him. His eyes, as if on their own accord, followed the limb, feeling a sharp intake of breath from the owner of the hand. Who’s hand was that, anyway? Ryan. It was Ryan. He had come after all. Even without calling, Ryan came.  
  
“Gav? You back?”  
  
A nod, though his head felt heavy, his body tired, worn down, his muscles relaxing under Ryan’s careful touch, the hand never stopping. He let his eyes droop closed, settling comfortably where he was; yes, this would do for now. But, something was nagging at him, something that made him speak.  
  
“How’d you know?”  
  
“Dunno. I just…felt the need to check on you. Why didn’t you call, Gavin?” the unspoken end to the sentence didn’t go unnoticed by the two men, and Gavin had to sigh.  
  
“I know you would have answered…I just…I didn’t want to mess up your recording. I figured I could deal by myself.”  
  
“Gavin, what have I told you? I don’t care what I’m doing, or where I am in the building, you call me if you need me. Your health is more important than some recording I could easily do again. Big brothers always have to look after their little brothers, right?” his smile was matched by Gavin’s own, that is, until Ryan ruffled the hair he was still playing with. A laugh was all he got in return for his pout. The two quickly sobered however, though the air didn’t seem as thick as it had been the last couple weeks. Something had changed, and it was for the better.  
  
“Are we good again, Ryan?”  
  
“Yeah…we’re good. As long as you promise to call me next time.”  
  
“Will I get a cookie?”  
  
“Maybe. Only maybe,” Gavin’s indigent noise was only answered with a laugh.   
  
And to say Geoff was more than relieved when the two arrived at his doorstep, back to being their friendly selves, was the understatement of the century. 


End file.
